--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As I think of it, there’s an ache in my…" description: "\"“As I think of it, there’s an ache in my chest. I cannot control these dreams in which she seems to lie in my future like a whole season of extravagant..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/james-salter-2584_dreams_as-i-think-of-it-there-s-an-ache-in-my-c_1223306.jpg" --- # As I think of it, there’s an ache in my chest. I cannot… ![“As I think of it, there’s an ache in my chest. I cannot control these dreams in which she seems to lie in my future like a whole season of extravagant meals if only I knew how to arrange it.” quote by James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/james-salter-2584_dreams_as-i-think-of-it-there-s-an-ache-in-my-c_1223306.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/james-salter-2584_dreams_as-i-think-of-it-there-s-an-ache-in-my-c_1223306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/james-salter-2584_dreams_as-i-think-of-it-there-s-an-ache-in-my-c_1223306.jpg) > ““As I think of it, there’s an ache in my chest. I cannot control these dreams in which she seems to lie in my future like a whole season of extravagant meals if only I knew how to arrange it.”” [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels an aching longing and uncontrollable dreams about a future filled with abundant, lavish experiences. **In simple terms:** Yearning for an imagined, lavish future. Key Takeaway Recognize and channel longing into purposeful action. Themes longing dreams future desire Mood melancholic hopeful Type literary emotional When to use this quote - creative writing - relationship counseling - goal setting - artistic inspiration Key Concepts psychology of desire anticipation emotional intensity Questions to Reflect On - What does this longing reveal about your values? - How can you balance desire with reality? A Different Perspective Dreams may be unrealistic, causing frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [You must learn to control your dreams or your dreams will forever control you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/you-must-learn-to-control-your-dreams-or-your-dreams-will-forever/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) > [I feel as though, if you're able to control your dreams, you have more power and control over your mind, like you could reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juice-wrld/i-feel-as-though-if-you-re-able-to-control-your-dreams-you-have-more/) [Juice Wrld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juice-wrld/) > [“The delicious, semiconscious, edge-of-wonderland kind of sleep, where I'm awake enough to control my dreams but asleep enough to forget that I'm doing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-miller/the-delicious-semiconscious-edge-of-wonderland-kind-of-sleep-where-i/) [Lauren Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-miller/) > [Control yourself, not your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/control-yourself-not-your-dreams/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [“There is an ache in my chest today, sweet, searching, and painful, like a tongue that is cut and tingles with sweetness and pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binyavanga-wainaina/there-is-an-ache-in-my-chest-today-sweet-searching-and-painful-like-a/) [Binyavanga Wainaina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binyavanga-wainaina/) > [“A KIND OF ILLNESS This ache in my chest is a relentless thing, worse than any fever. A fever is gone with a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mccormick/a-kind-of-illness-this-ache-in-my-chest-is-a-relentless-thing-worse/) [Patricia McCormick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mccormick/) > [Heart broken-he felt a deep ache in his chest, like that of a sore muscle, and each beat of his heart pained him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/heart-broken-he-felt-a-deep-ache-in-his-chest-like-that-of-a-sore/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [“But now he felt a deep ache in his chest—like that of a sore muscle—and each beat of his heart pained him. His”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/but-now-he-felt-a-deep-ache-in-his-chest-like-that-of-a-sore-muscle/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [“I stare up into the dark with an ache in my chest that makes it hard to breathe. But not hard to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/i-stare-up-into-the-dark-with-an-ache-in-my-chest-that-makes-it-hard/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [“In dreams lie forgotten lifetimes of joy and torment, leaving only the shadow of memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-calhoun/in-dreams-lie-forgotten-lifetimes-of-joy-and-torment-leaving-only-the/) [Kenneth Calhoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-calhoun/) > [“Only you...can make my dreams come true. Dreams lie sleeping in my heart, waiting for my world to start. Only you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-wells/only-you-can-make-my-dreams-come-true-dreams-lie-sleeping-in-my-heart/) [Rosemary Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-wells/) > [All of my hopes and dreams lie with young women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-lopez/all-of-my-hopes-and-dreams-lie-with-young-women/) [Kamala Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-lopez/) > [“In dreams lie responsibilities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/in-dreams-lie-responsibilities/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“What good are dreams if they lie only in closed boxes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-janice-brown/what-good-are-dreams-if-they-lie-only-in-closed-boxes/) Nadia Janice Brown > [“Do we ever have to abandon all hope? Is it not perhaps a good thing that by refusing to give in to the evidence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-monod/do-we-ever-have-to-abandon-all-hope-is-it-not-perhaps-a-good-thing/) Theodore Monod ## More by James Salter > [It seems to me that literature is giving way a little bit to the immediacy of other diversions, other forms of entertainment. What will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/it-seems-to-me-that-literature-is-giving-way-a-little-bit-to-the/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Women fall in love when they get to know you. Men are just the opposite. When they finally know you they're ready to leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/women-fall-in-love-when-they-get-to-know-you-men-are-just-the/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Not necessarily narrow so much as impatient, intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/not-necessarily-narrow-so-much-as-impatient-intense/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I write in longhand. I am accustomed to that proximity, that feel of writing. Then I sit down and type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-write-in-longhand-i-am-accustomed-to-that-proximity-that-feel-of/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [A writer writes a book. People read it. You don't know what they're reading, really. You read a review and think, "That is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/a-writer-writes-a-book-people-read-it-you-don-t-know-what-they-re/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Strauss’s, for instance, which begins in the heavens. The artist doesn’t ascend to glory, he appears in it, he already has it and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/strauss-s-for-instance-which-begins-in-the-heavens-the-artist-doesn-t/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Normally, what you’re envious of is a book, not a writer: standards, ideas, levels … almost nonexistent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/normally-what-you-re-envious-of-is-a-book-not-a-writer-standards/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Sometimes I write with a particular person in mind. I think it's fair to say that I write for a perceptive reader. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/sometimes-i-write-with-a-particular-person-in-mind-i-think-it-s-fair/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Lots of scripts are written and not made, even scripts that people want to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/lots-of-scripts-are-written-and-not-made-even-scripts-that-people/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I'd given up everything to be a writer, and if I didn't then go on to do that - to write - then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-d-given-up-everything-to-be-a-writer-and-if-i-didn-t-then-go-on-to/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“One should not believe too easily in a life which can easily vanish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/one-should-not-believe-too-easily-in-a-life-which-can-easily-vanish/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Life is separated by scars, like the rings in the inside of a tree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/life-is-separated-by-scars-like-the-rings-in-the-inside-of-a-tree/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Dean is still asleep. His clothes are strewn about. The shutters are closed. He never dreams. He’s like a dead musician, like a spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/dean-is-still-asleep-his-clothes-are-strewn-about-the-shutters-are/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [The dreams are the skeleton of all reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/the-dreams-are-the-skeleton-of-all-reality/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [There came a time when I felt I was not going to be satisfied with life unless I could write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/there-came-a-time-when-i-felt-i-was-not-going-to-be-satisfied-with/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) [Explore all 156 James Salter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) ## More Dreams quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [“Now you’re wet. You’re so wet you’re leaking down your ass. You’re soaking my pillow. I don’t think I’m ever washing it. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stoker/now-you-re-wet-you-re-so-wet-you-re-leaking-down-your-ass-you-re/) [Susan Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stoker/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 40,599 Dreams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As I think of it, there’s an ache in my chest. 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